My snakes are in 8 ft. Neodesha customs on a Neo rack. The cages came with 11 inch Flex Watt running beneath the entire length. I cut the strips to 3 ft. lengths but am thinking of cutting them to 2 ft. lengths because there is no gradient. My snake room is usually no less than 80 even in the winter (I live in Florida) so I am battling the background temps most of the year but the cages themselves retain heat very well so that whatever I set the heated side to is usually what the unheated side stays at. Even though they've never had problems from not having a gradient, I would like to provide one if possible. A Helix DBS w/ a night drop is controlling the heat output and I measure the temps with a laser gun. Has anyone successfully battled this warm weather conundrum? The last thing I want to do is turn the A/C on- that dries the air and cools the whole house rather than just the room in question. I'm really looking for advanced tricks here I think. Thanks in advance.
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Marcia Pimentel
Tango River Reptiles
GiantFeeders
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Any Tricks On Setting Up a Gradient in a Warm Climate?
Replies (1)
Marcia, I usually recommend pro product radiant heat panels and if put on a suitable thermostat, they will even work in warm weather climates, however, in this case, it sounds like the use of flex watt may be your best option. The nice thing about flex watt, as you know, is that it doesn't necessarily boost the ambient air temps to significant levels. I think cutting back on the amount of tape you use will help quite a bit. We have the opposite problems here in Chicago; but either way, we have our share of challenges. I would go with a middle of the road approach; that is, try to aim your temps so that they range between the low 80's to mid to upper 80's with good humidity levels (w/out sacrificing good air flow, in Florida, that shouldn't be a problem). Within this temp range, you can still use the flex watt, or similar product, and create a gradient (like you, I feel that a gradient is VERY important to any herp's long term health) while still providing optimal temps....I have never known a burm to succomb to a resp problem within those temps. You also might consider installing a small fan in the cage that can draw warm out out and cooler air in; some places like Radio Shack sell them rather inexpensively. I am sure others here may come up with some better, high tech solutions (I am far from being "techy"!). Rob
